A Crown attorney says a Winnipeg bus driver who was killed on the job was spat upon and stabbed multiple times by a passenger who did not want to get off the bus.
Keith Eyrikson outlined the Crown’s case at the opening of the second-degree murder trial of Brian Kyle Thomas.
Thomas is accused of killing Irvine Jubal Fraser in the early morning of Feb 14, 2017.
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Eyrikson says Fraser reached the end of his route at the University of Manitoba and repeatedly told Thomas to get off the bus.
He says Thomas demanded to be driven elsewhere, Fraser eventually physically removed Thomas from the bus, and Thomas spat on Fraser.
Eyrikson says Thomas then stabbed Fraser a number of times.
The driver’s death prompted calls for increased safety measures on Winnipeg buses, including safety shields for drivers.
Eyrikson told the jury that some people might question why Fraser physically removed the passenger, but that is not the issue.
“What he did … did not justify in any way what then happened.”
Eyrikson also told jurors that they will hear from witnesses and police officers during the two-week trial, and see video footage of what happened.
“Some of it will be difficult to watch.”
The Canadian Press
